Compiled by Outside Online

April 24, 2002 German cycling star Jan Ullrich on Wednesday was cleared of all doping allegations associated with a night raid during the 2001 Giro d'Italia.

According to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Ullrich, winner of the 1997 Tour de France, was put under investigation when the anti-asthma medicine corticoid was found among his belongings during the raid. Ullrich, who has verified asthma problems, was cleared yesterday by the German cycling federation (BDR) and the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Former cycling champion and current BDR vice-president, Olaf Ludwig, spoke for Ullrich and his Telekom team. "Jan has always known he was innocent, so the word 'relief' can not really describe what he is feeling," Ludwig was quoted as saying by the Agence France-Presse.

Both governing bodies also cleared Ullrich's team doctor, Lothar Heinrich, for caffeine tablets uncovered during the raids.

On the night of June 6, 2001, hundreds of Italian police officers stormed the San Remo hotel rooms of Giro racers, confiscating stimulants, anabolic steroids, and corticosteroids. Angry, sleep-deprived competitors voted to cancel the next day's 234-kilometer stage 18.

According to the AFP, the majority of accusations filed in conjunction with the raids have been dropped.

BDR president, Sylvia Schenk expressed outrage over the ten-month scandal and impact upon Ullrich.

"Even a cyclist has the right for timely investigations of such severe and drawn-out-in-public accusations," she told the DPA.

Ullrich, runner-up to Lance Armstrong in the last two Tours de France, will now set his sights on the the 2002 Tour, which begins July 6 in Luxembourg.